


Gifts for Friends

by MaverickSawyer



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 03:39:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5482010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaverickSawyer/pseuds/MaverickSawyer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mako and Raleigh exchange gifts with four other Jaeger teams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gifts for Friends

**Author's Note:**

  * For [somethingsomething](https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethingsomething/gifts).



"Well, that was fun."  
Mako grinned as she recalled the snowball fight in the courtyard of their apartment complex. "Yes. It's been too long since we had some decent competition."  
Raleigh chuckled and unlocked their door. "We're gonna have to watch out for them next time. I guarantee they'll be gunning for us, and have no interest in the others."  
Mako walked into their studio apartment, a smug look plastered on her face. "Let them. They'll find out that getting fixated on a single target is poor tactics."  
Raleigh sighed as he followed Mako. "True." He closed the door behind him, then looked Mako up and down. "You want first crack at the hot shower?"  
Mako walked over to Raleigh, kissed him on the cheek, and promptly disappeared into their bedroom.

* * *

Mako came out of the bedroom a while later, hair wrapped in a towel, wearing one of Raleigh's sweaters and a pair of her own sweatpants. "All yours."  
"Thanks." Raleigh handed her a cup of peppermint tea. "Figured you'd want some."  
"Thank you." She took a sip and relaxed into the couch. "Mmm. Yes, that's wonderful."  
Raleigh smiled and started towards the bedroom. "Hey, lemme know if the Hansens-"  
As if on cue, Mako's tablet began to chime an alert. Raleigh came back to the couch and flopped down, and Mako scooted into his lap. "Ready?"  
"Yep." Raleigh tapped the "Accept?" button, and the sounds of a squeaky toy immediately came from the speakers.  
"MORI, I SWEAR I WILL FIND SOME WAY TO GET EVEN WITH YOU FOR THIS." Chuck walked into the frame, clearly focused on something at floor level. "C'mere, you big baby. Gimme the damn duck!"  
Mako giggled as Max tried to bark with a mouthful of toy. "You're welcome."  
Chuck waved his middle finger at the camera on the Hansen's end of the connection, and Raleigh roared with laughter. "I see he hasn't changed much."  
Herc let out a long suffering sigh and rubbed his forehead. "I though college would be a welcome change of pace. Seems I was mistaken."  
Mako grimaced in sypmathy. "Sorry to hear that, Herc."  
"Ah, it's okay. At least someone's happy with his new toy, even if he did tear open his present sometime last night to get at it." Herc looked over his shoulder to check on Chuck and Max, who were still going around the house. "Even if Chuck won't admit it, he's happy to see Max enjoying himself for more than a few minutes at a time."  
Raleigh grunted as Mako bounded off his lap and headed to their small Christmas tree. "Well, I know it's a little early here, but..."  
Herc smiled. "Presents?"  
Mako returned with a pair of boxes wrapped in kangaroo-themed paper. "Ta-da!" She flopped into Raleigh's lap, resulting in an "Oof!"  
There was an "AHA!" from the Hansen's end of the connection, and Chuck swaggered into the kitchen, slobbery dog toy in hand. "Managed to get it away from Max for a bit." He saw Mako and Raleigh on the screen and rolled his eyes. "Always the adorkable couple, aren't you."  
Mako grinned. "And your problem with that is...?"  
Herc cleared his throat and held up a small box. "So, this one's mine from the two of you..."  
Raleigh nodded.  
Herc began to gingerly open it. "It doesn't have one of Mako's glitter bombs in it, does it?"  
Mako whistled innocently and looked at the ceiling.  
Herc's eyes narrowed, and he put the box at arms length as he eased it open. No glitter sprayed everywhere, but it did begin to emit an 8-bit rendition of "Waltzing Matilda" once he opened it completely. Herc grinned at the song. "I see you've upped your game, Mako. I'll have to find some way to top this for your birthday."  
Mako chuckled. "I thought you wouldn't take kindly to a glitter bomb again."  
"Thank you for that." Herc pulled a small folded piece of paper from the box. "Oh, there's the evil bit." He glared at the camera, and Mako through it. "You had to use fine print."  
Mako laughed as Herc sighed and pulled out a pair of reading glasses.  
"Okay, what did you go to such efforts to..." Herc's eyebrows rose. "Wow. A trip to a mountain resort in New Zealand?" He looked at the camera again. "Thank you guys."  
Mako grinned from ear to ear. "You're welcome, Herc."  
Chuck thumped down in a chair, Max whining at his feet. "No, Max. Not yet." He snatched his present off the table and tore the paper off. "Great, a cardboard box." He shook it. "Well, at least Raleigh didn't send me back that chunk of the Wall."  
Raleigh just glared at Chuck.  
"Whatever." He opened the box and pulled out a box of chocolates. "Seriously? Again with the Kaiju chocolates?"  
Raleigh and Mako both laughed, and Chuck immediately opened the box.  
"This shit again? 11?!?!?" He stared at the camera. "See, this kind of stuff is why I send Raleigh the chunks of Wall."  
Raleigh continued to laugh, while Mako stuck her tongue out at Chuck.  
Chuck sighed and dug into the box a little more. "What's this?" He pulled out a figurine... and laughed. "This has to be Mako's gift." He smiled. "Where'd you find this?"  
Mako beamed. "I've been visiting a lot of the pawn and thrift shops up here on a regular basis. I saw that and knew it was the last 7" Lucky Seven figure you needed to complete the collection..."  
Chuck took a deep breath, then looked at Mako. "Thank you. This is.... Wow."  
Max hopped up and snagged the squeaky toy from Chuck's lap, then raced off down the hall, happily chewing on the toy.  
"OI!" Chuck gently set down the figurine on the table and darted out of the room after the bulldog. "GET BACK HERE!"  
Herc shook his head. "At least you got him to sit still for a while."  
Mako shrugged. "And he enjoyed part of his gift." She set Raleigh's gift in her lap and tore the paper off of hers. "'The Case For Mars'. Third edition?"  
Herc nodded. "You've repeatedly mentioned the fact that we really shoud, as a species, get off the Earth en masse, especially now that we know we're not alone out there." He gestured at the book. "It's a little dated, especially in regards to the concept of a manned Mars mission being NASA's job, but the technical stuff behind it is still as sound as ever."  
"Thank you." Mako set the book aside for the moment, then waited as Raleigh opened his gift. "Another rock from the Wall, no doubt."  
Raleigh chuckled and hefted the golf ball sized chunk of concrete. "At least he's predictable on that count." He rooted through the box and came out with a gift card. "Well, look at that. He does have a heart after all."  
Mako reached behind Raleigh's head and smacked him. "Dork."  
Herc looked over his shoulder as Max started barking. "Well, I'd better go before Max or Chuck start causing problems."  
Raleigh nodded. "Merry Christmas, sir."  
Mako waved as Herc ended the call.  
Raleigh laid down on the couch with a groan. "You gonna tell Chuck that I was the one who gave Max the Squawkie Talkie?"  
Mako smiled, rolled over, and laid down on Raleigh. "No. I'd hate to lose my bedwarmer and personal chef." She kissed him, then rolled off the couch. "Speaking of which... Hungry?"  
"True." Raleigh grinned and scooped Mako up in his arms. "And you're pretty toasty, too."  
"Mmm. Speaking of toast... Egg nog french toast tomorrow?"  
"Sure. We've got all the stuff for it, and we've got that unopened carton of eggnog..."  
Mako smiled as Raleigh set her down. "Thank you. So, what do you want for dinner?"

  
* * *

Mako was snuggled up to Raleigh on the couch when the tablet began to ping with an incoming call alert. Raleigh looked at the clock and sighed. "Ready for the Kaidanovskies?"  
"Is anyone ever truly ready for them?"  
"After last year's present... you have a good point."  
Mako grimaced. "Last year's was... eccentric, I'll give you that. But, that's the way they are."  
Raleigh shrugged and accepted the call. "Hey! How are you?"  
Sasha grinned. "Very good. You?"  
Mako smiled. "Feeling better this week."  
Aleksis frowned. "You were sick?"  
Mako nodded. "I was mildy nasueated, but it's passed. Nothing to worry about."  
Sasha nodded and held up the box from Mako and Raleigh. "So, we don't open presents this early normally, but for you... We'll make an exception."  
Raleigh nodded. "You don't have to. We're more than willing to wait..."  
"Nonsense."  
Aleksis nodded. "Let's see what you got us..."  
The couple tore off the paper and opened the cardboard box... and began to shout in delight. "Cherno Bravo! You found it and fixed it?"  
Mako beamed with pride. "I couldn't just walk past it when you threw in the dumpster after it got cooked by the power surge in Hong Kong. I figured that I'd find another, non-EMP'd unit somewhere and scavenge it for parts. And I was right."  
Raleigh smiled as he remembered Mako lugging the Cherno Alpha shaped boombox home one afternoon, grinning from ear to ear. "She's been going to every yard sale, flea market, and pawn shop she could find looking for another one."  
Sasha slid a CD of their favorite hardhouse mix into the torso of the boombox, and the rapid beat and heavy bass began to poud out of the speakers. Aleksis began to laugh and started dancing to the music. "Perfect! Just like it never got fried!"  
Mako laughed as Sasha began to dance along with Aleksis for a few moments. "I see your dancing hasn't changed."  
"No, not when we have Bravo back! Just like old times..."  
Raleigh held up the large package from the other Rangers. "Well, want to get this over with so you can go back to dancing?"  
Aleksis pressed the pause button, and the music abruptly ended. "Yes. Hopefully this year's is a little more... conventional."  
Mako raised an eyebrow in skepticism, but took the hefty present from Raleigh and tore it open. "It's a wood carving of Gipsy's Conn Pod?"  
Aleksis grinned. "There's more to it..."  
Mako frowned as she looked around the wonderfully detailed carving, seeking any sort of release mechanism. "There has to be a latch somewhere... Aha!" Mako grinned and pressed the headlight, and two doors popped open atop the pod. "Oh, the escape pod hatches? Clever choice." Mako reached in on her side of the Conn Pod, and Raleigh reached in on his. Both pulled out a Matroyshka doll painted to look like their drive suits.  
Raleigh smiled. "Well, let's see how deep these go." They opened them up to reveal liknesses of themselves in workwear, followed by them in their now-famous Kwoon outfits. After a shared glance of concern, Mako and Raleigh opened the dolls to reveal a white Drivesuit figure and a girl in a blue dress.  
Aleksis beamed. "I thought the symbolism would be a nice touch."  
Raleigh noticed a hint of tears at the corners of Mako's eyes as she nodded.  
"Thank you, Aleksis. Much more thoughtful than Sasha's gift from last year."  
Sasha gave an indignant huff. "I thought it was a good choice."  
Mako opened her mouth to reply, but a buzzer sounded in the background of the Kaidanovskies end of the connection. A stream of rapid-fire Ukranian erupted between the couple as they promptly ended the call. "Well. That was odd, even by their standards."  
Raleigh closed the app on the tablet and powered it down. "Agreed." He looked at Mako, his brow furrowed in concentration. "We did bring Sasha's gift with us during the last move, right?"  
Mako shuddered. "Sadly, yes. It's in the box at the back of the closet, where it belongs. That was a little too creepy."  
"Mmm." Raleigh playfully scooped up Mako and carried her towards their bedroom. "Well, it is getting late, and we haven't heard from the Weis."  
"Probably playing with their present already." Mako grinned at the thought of the triplets and their present. "Should be entertaining for them for a day or two. We'll probably hear from them tomorrow morning."

* * *

Mako woke up to the smell of Raleigh cooking eggnog french toast. Mmmm... that smells delightful. She pulled on some pajamas and padded out into the kitchen. "Good morning."  
"Mornin'. Hungry?"  
Mako nodded as she grabbed a plate and forked a piece of french toast from the pan onto her plate. "Any word from our friends yet?"  
"Nope." Raleigh waved his spatula at Mako's tablet propped up on the table. "Not a peep from it this morning."  
"That's good. I would hate to have missed them." Mako frowned for a moment, then walked to the fridge. She opened it up ad looked inside. "Where's the syrup?"  
Raleigh flipped another piece of french toast, then reached over and popped open the microwave. "Heated some up already."  
Mako smiled brightly and pulled the gravy boat out of the microwave. "Thank you."  
Raleigh grinned and returned to cooking.  
Mako settled down at the table and pulled up the news on her tablet. "Huh. Looks like they've upped the expected snowfall tonight."  
"How much more?"  
"Another 10 to 15 centimeters."  
"All the more reason to snuggle in tonight."  
Mako chuckled and kept browsing through the news as she ate. Raleigh came to join her soon after. He reached out and touched a headline. "Hey, they finally decided to rebuild San Francisco."  
"Hmm. Well, my contract here is almost done... And I'm sure there's more than a few places down there that would take us."  
"Not saying we should move again. Just-"  
The tablet began to chime, indicating an incoming call. Mako hit the "Accept?" button, and the Wei's faces appeared in place of the news feed. "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"  
"Merry Christmas, you three. It's what, midnight?"  
Cheung shrugged. "We've been busy with your gift..."  
Hu grinned and disappeared from the camera's field of view briefly, and Jin grabbed a cookie from Hu's spot, eliciting a chuckle from Mako and Raleigh. Hu reappeared, spotted the missing snack, and smacked Jin on the back of the head. "Dweeb."  
Cheung cleared his throat as he shunted his brothers out of the field of view. "ANYways. We've made some progress, but..."  
Jin shoved his way back into the frame. "We decided to make some improvements."  
Hu snuck around to the other side and stole one of Jin's candies with a grin. "Wasn't showy enough."  
Mako's only response was to raise her eyebrows.  
The triplets looked at each other, then turned to the camera. "Fire."  
Raleigh nearly choked on a mouthful of toast, and Mako let out an exasperated sigh. "Figures."  
Jin shrugged. "It's a remote controled dragon robot. How could it NOT breath fire?"  
Raleigh shook his head in amusement, and Mako groaned. "You three nearly set your apartment on fire last month with your experiments... I'm surprised the landlord let you stay after that."  
Cheung beamed. "Well, we're otherwise such good tenants, and we're usually pretty quet." held up the still incomplete robot in question. "The biggest issue is fireproofing it."  
Raleigh leaned in slightly closer ot the camera on the tablet. "You don't say."  
"Well, there's only so many fizz cans in the recycling dumpster of our apartment building." Hu held up a small pair of pieces of thin aluminum, shaped like scales. One was a shining silver of etched aluminum, and the other was now bright red with a light tracery of gold lines. "And we can only do a small number of scales at a time, since we're doing the fine lines with electroplating..."  
Mako chuckled. "Such a hard project."  
"Still, we'll have it ready in time for the New Year festivities." Cheung smiled as he held up a small string of firecrackers. "And with a remote controlled, fire breathing dragon running around, we need something to light on fire..."  
Mako groaned. "Why do I give you three stuff that you can make into weapons of mass distraction?"  
Jin laughed and shoved Cheung out of the frame. "Because I'm just that awesome."  
Hu successfully dodged Jin's attempt to shove him, and grabbed the camera. "Plus, we taught you a lot of those dirty fighting moves, so OW!"  
Cheung snatched away the camera and plunked it back where it had been, revealing Hu hopping on one foot and holding the other in his hands. "Ignore him for now. He's just mad that I was the one to open the box this year."  
Raleigh forked another piece of french toast onto Mako's plate. "So, you guys are going to just randomly drop those firecracker strings all around town, then send the dragon running up to it and light the fuse remotely?"  
The triplets looked at each other briefly, then back at the camera. "We are now."  
Mako smacked Raleigh in the back of the head and switched to Japanese. "What did I say about encouraging them?"  
Raleigh sighed and walked out of the kitchen. "I'll be right back, guys."  
Mako sighed and switched to Cantonese. "I told him not to encourage your antics."  
Hu held up the dragon again. "Says the person who gave us this."  
Mako made a face of dismay and drowned the toast in syrup. "Point."  
Cheung made a face at Mako's breakfast. "You okay, Mako? Normally you don't eat that much for breakfast... or something that sugary."  
Mako rolled her eyes. "I'm in Alaska. Remember how much more you ate when you were up here in the winter?"  
Hu frowned. "That was an... expensive winter."  
Jin looked at the floor. "I knew we needed more calories in winter, but that was... surprising."  
Cheung raised an eyebrow."Still... Even by our standards, that's a lot of sugar."  
Mako smiled at the honesty. "Besides, I wasn't feeling well last week. I was having some trouble keeping food down, so I'm a little bit hungrier than normal."  
Raleigh returned, the gifts from the triplets in his hands. "Since you're on, I figured we should open these now."  
Cheung reached over and grabbed a cookie from Hu. "By all means."  
Jin rolled his eyes as Hu tried to smack Cheung on the back of the head.  
Mako giggled and accepted her present from Raleigh. "So, let me guess." She shook the box, feeling its heft. "It wouldn't be a replacement for the Torx screwdrivers you stole-"  
Cheung crossed his arms as he interrupted Mako. "Borrowed."  
"Stole from me last year when you visited."  
Hu scowled at his brothers. "We shipped them back."  
Raleigh sighed. "They had scorch marks all over the handles... where the plastic hadn't been melted or burned off."  
Jin looked at Mako pleadingly. "It's the thought that counts?"  
Mako sighed and tore the red paper off. It was indeed a replacement set of tools. "Thanks, guys... Even if it's a year late."  
"It's no-OW!"  
"Dork."  
"Quit slapping me!"  
"Quit being an idiot, then."  
Mako cleared her throat, and the brothers gave a unified "Sorry."  
Raleigh chuckled and opened his own package. Inside was a strange assembly of electrical components. "Uhhhh..."  
Hu grinned as he stole a gummy bear from Cheung's bowl. "It's a coilgun."  
"You sure you didn't mix our gifts up?"  
Jin sighed and stole a gummy bear as well. "Yes. You said you had some problems with squirrels raiding your bird feeder. This should put a severe crimp in that issue."  
Mako frowned. "By shooting them?"  
Cheung grabbed one of Jin's candies. "Right, we're all even now. Not very hard, no. Just enough to get it's attention." He held up his forearm to reveal a small bruise. "See? We even tested it on each other first to make sure it wouldn't hurt. Much."  
Raleigh grinned. "Uh-huh. Well, I'll certainly consider it... if they get past the sheet metal collars I put on the feeder poles."  
There was a DING in the background of the Wei's end of the call. "Well, the next round of scales is done..." "And you've probably got other people to talk to today..." "So, talk again soon?"  
Mako nodded. "Absolutely. And try not to set your apartment on fire again when you test the dragon."  
The brothers chorused "No promises."  
"Alright, go get some sleep, you guys." Raleigh chuckled and reahed to end the call.  
"BYE!!!!" "Merry Christmas!" "Talk to you soon!"  
Raleigh ended the call. "Well, this is going to go on the shelf for now..." He got up and carried the coilgun to the living room bookcase. "And are you going to tell them that you already bought a replacement set of drivers?"  
Mako grinned and giggled. "No. Are you going to tell them that you're not going to use their present?"  
"Nope." Raleigh set the coilgun aside. "So, wanna open some other presents first?"  
"Please. After all, the sun hasn't risen in Hawaii yet, and I'm sure sensei's still asleep."

* * *

Mako munched on a chocolate-dipped Pocky stick as she stuffed shredded wrapping paper into a garbage bag. "All those presents, and they're all unwrapped in twenty minutes." She looked to Raleigh. "Is that normal, or just us?"  
"Nah, that's typical." Raleigh leaned forward and reached for Mako's Pocky sticks.  
Mako smacked Raleigh's hand. "Mine." She scooped up the package and set in her lap. "Get your own damn box."  
Raleigh laughed and reached for his stocking. "Tomorrow, then."  
Mako glared at Raleigh and cradled the Pocky to her chest. "Not from my stash, ever."  
Raleigh shook his head and chuckled some more before looking at the clock. "Hey, want to try calling Tamsin?"  
"Sure. They ought to be awake by now."  
Raleigh handed Mako her tablet. "You wanna tell him about the test results from the doc?"  
Mako looked up from the tablet, Pocky hanging from the corner of her mouth. "May'e." She finished logging in and resumed munching on the treat.  
"We don't have to, y'know... Just an idea."  
Mako ate the last of the stick, then looked at Raleigh. "No, it's a good idea. I've rarely hidden anything from him, and something like this... He should know now, not later."  
"So... how do you want to break it?"  
"Send him a scan of the report. He'll figure it out pretty quick."  
Raleigh nodded his head at the tablet. "I think it's already on the drive."  
"Uhm.... Yes. Here it is."  
Raleigh hugged Mako. "Ready?"  
"Yes." Mako tapped on a picture of Stacker and Tamsin. "You?"  
"Am I ever ready to talk to Stacker?"  
Mako made her 'Okay, you've got a point' face as the call connected.  
Tamsin waved to them. "Hey, you two. What's up?"  
Mako's face lit up upon seeing the redhead. "The usual after-presents cleanup, of course." She held up the garbage bag of paper.  
Stacker entered the image. "There's my girl. How are you?"  
"Doing well, sensei." Mako bowed her head to the camera. "And you?"  
"Well, the new treatment is taking well so far. I haven't had a nosebleed in weeks." Stacker gave a pointed glare at Raleigh. "I hope you're not doing anything to cause me to break that streak, Becket?"  
Raleigh stiffened. "No, sir."  
"Good."  
Tamsin cackled in delight. "Oh, knock it off, Stacks. It's Christmas. Cut your son-in-law some slack!"  
Stacker groaned. "Tams..."  
Mako held up her present. "Is it okay if I open this?"  
Tamsin grinned. "Yes, by all means."  
Mako delightedly tore the package open to reveal a mixed pack of dehydrated tropical fruit and a box of Japanese teas. "Oh, you shouldn't have... These must have cost you quite a bit of money. Even two years after we won..."  
Tamsin beamed. "So? Isn't that part of what the holiday is for?"  
Raleigh smiled and nodded to the camera. "Indeed. Tamsin, you should go next."  
Tamsin eyed the small gift bag. "I'm almost afraid of what might be in there."  
Mako rolled her eyes. "Oh, you big baby. Open it! Raleigh worked hard on it."  
"Well, in that case..." Tamsin dug into the bag and pulled out a knit hat. "Oh, that's beautiful!"  
"I know you were going in for another round of chemo, so I figured you might want a hat." Raleigh grinned. "The Coyote Tango logo was a bit tricky, but I managed to get it recognizable."  
Tamsin slid the knit beanie on and turned her head a few times. "Well, it fits perfectly and feels great. Thank you, Raleigh."  
"You're welcome, Tamsin." Raleigh hefted the package he now knew came from Stacker. "Doesn't feel like a bomb."  
Stacker chuckled. "Nah, too messy. And too much of a risk for collateral damage."  
"Glad to know that you care." Raleigh smirked as he began to open the present... then his jaw dropped. "Wow. You really do care." He looked up at the tablet. "Thank you, sir."  
"Well, I knew you had a penchant for photography, and the cell phone pics you two have been sending are... lacking." Stacker grinned. "So, I hope that new camera of yours gets some decent use."  
"Oh, it will, sir." Raleigh gently set the camera down. "So, last present for the year..."  
Mako scooted into Raleigh's lap. "I hope you like it, sensei."  
"Mako, you could send me a dead fish and I'd probably like it." Stacker beamed as he began to open the package. It's big, whatever it... Oh. Mako, that's..."  
Mako grinned from ear to ear as Stacker pulled the detailed model of a heavily battle-damaged Coyote Tango out of the box.  
"Wow... The detail... How long... No, forget I wanted to ask that. This, Mako, is fantastic." Stacker looked at the camera. "Thank you."  
"Oh, and it lights up, too. There's a USB cord tucked into the base."  
Tamsin grinned. "That, Mako, is some superb model work."  
Mako bit her lower lip as Stacker set the model down. "There's... something else, too."  
"What's wrong?" Stacker glared at Raleigh.  
"Nothing's wrong... Just... We didn't get the report until two days ago, and it was a little late to print it and send it to you." Mako squirmed a little as she sent Tamsin the report. "So, here's the report from the doctor."  
Tamsin's face scrunched in concern. "You're not sick, are you?"  
"No, no, nothing bad. Good news, actually."  
There was a chime from the other end of the connection, and Tamsin leaned forward to open the email. "Okay... what are we-Oh. Oooohhh." She began to cackle with glee as she turned the laptop to face Stacker. "Oh, you are gonna love this report, Stacks."  
Stacker quickly read the report. "What..." He rubbed his temples. "Are they sure?"  
Mako felt Raleigh tense up next to her. "Yes, they're sure."  
Tamsin stopped cackling for moment. "Stacks... You're gonna be a grandfather!"  
Stacker looked up at the ceiling. "A grandfather. God, that makes me feel old..."  
Tamsin laughed. "Well, that makes two of us."  
Raleigh smiled. "Told you it was good news."  
Stacker sighed. "That is a hell of a Christmas present, you two." He took a deep breath. "This is going to take some time for me to really come to grips with. You know that, right?"  
Mako nodded. "Yes. That's why we wanted to tell you early."  
"Well, thank you for that."  
Tamsin whipped her hat off and pulled it over Stacker's eyes. "And thank you for this!"  
"Tams, please..."  
"Oh, stuff it. You look good in it. Raleigh, can you make him one?"  
"Yep."  
"Awesome." Tamsin looked past the camera at something. "Well, crap. The nurse is coming so we'll have to go. Have a Happy Christmas, you two... or should I say, you three." She waggled her eyebrows at Mako.  
"Mery Christmas, Tamsin." Raleigh waved at the tablet's camera.  
"Happy Christmas, sensei, and sorry to drop this on you like that..." Mako bit her lip again.  
"Oh, it's fine. I just... don't think I was ready to hear that quite so soon. But, you are adults, so it's not my call." Stacker smiled. "And that baby is going to be spoiled rotten. You know that."  
"Yes."  
Tamsin snagged the laptop. "Anyways, time for some more poking and prodding from the good doctors here, so I'm going to have to go." She waved. "Take care, you guys."  
Mako watched the connection end, then turned to Raleigh. "Think we dumped it on him a little fast?"  
"Probably. But, it's just so..." Raleight shrugged. "Exciting? Scary?"  
Mako snuggled up to Raleigh. "But, we're together. And together, anything's possible. I mean, we've already saved the world. How hard could raising a kid be?"


End file.
